Topic: Rivers & Coasts Case Study:LEDC Flood Management Location: Bangladesh Geographical Keywords • Monsoon • Storm surge • Hard Engineering • Sustainability • Silt • Floating gardens • Tropical storm • Densely populated Case Study Detail Background Bangladeshis one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world. Many of its 140 million inhabitants live on the low-lying floodplains of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Megna. Due to the fertile silt that these rivers have deposited it makes an ideal place for farming. Bangladeshis affected by yearly river floods due to snow-melt in the Himalayas to the north and from the monsoon rainfall. It is also hit by regular cyclones (tropical storms) which can create storm surges in the Bay of Bengal of up tom, flooding far inland. Management Preparedness Programme including • cluster villages raised above the water level. • raised individual home on earth banks. • flood shelter area – raised land for livestock and people • rescue boats – near to areas most at risk • radios – give to each preparedness committee to alert people These strategies are arguable more sustainable economically as they are low cost, socially as they immediately save lives and environmentally as they do not interfere with the natural flow of the river. However, they have limited effect in urban areas Dhaka Integrated Flood Protection Project. A hard engineering project to protect Dhaka • Large earth embankments to hold backwater Slope reinforcement to reduce erosion • Storm drains linked to rivers • Large sluice gates to close river channels Although these strategies protect a large number of people. Floating Gardens: Floating agricultural land built on bamboo beds, so that when floods arrive the gardens float and the crops are not lost. These are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
